Juan Martin Del Potro stuns Roger Federer to enter semis – Barclays ATP World Tour Finals 2012
Argentinean number one, Juan Martin Del Potro, surprised everyone after shocking the former world number one, Roger Federer, in a three-set thriller at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Saturday. He summed up a 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 victory against the second seed to qualify for the semi-finals at this season-ending tournament taking place in London, England.
Seeded sixth in this event, Del Potro lost his track in the second set but sought his rhythm again in the deciding set, eventually carving out the victory in their 17th encounter. After outclassing his rival in almost two hours, Del Potro not only lower trail in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series by 4-13 against the 17-time Grand Slam champion and booked a spot in the final four at this indoor hard court event.
Del Potro stated in a courtside interview after stunning the world number two:
“At the end, I was thinking maybe [this] could be my last service game of the year if I lose against him. So I put all my concentration [to the task] when I was serving. He's still the favourite to win the tournament, with [Andy] Murray and [Novak] Djokovic…I don't know who is the No. 1 favourite. Djokovic, Murray or Federer can win the tournament. I can tell you, I'm the No. 4 for sure. Anything can happen. I beat Federer, Novak and Andy long time ago, so maybe if I have lucky, [I] can repeat here.”
The opening set saw both stars displaying their best tennis at The O2 Arena. Federer swiped his entire serves without facing any breakpoint. However, he squandered all three break chances and took the set to a tie-breaker.
The 24-year-old unveiled his true colours in it and prevailed. He cruised to a 5-1 lead in it and eventually sealed the opener with a 7-6(3) win.
The Swiss Maestro recreated his magic in the following set. He got the coveted break in the opening game and took the initial lead. Federer slid his entire serves without facing any trouble and clicked the equaliser with a 6-4 success.
Ranked seventh in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Del Potro found his early ascendance and form in the final set. He cashed the lone break chance in the second game and leaped to a 3-0 lead. The Argentine held his composure and kept his remaining serves with poise, eventually bagging the decider with a 6-3 score line.
Del Potro will square off against top seeded Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
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